Premanufactured wooden trusses greatly facilitate the construction of buildings and other structures. Known trusses are essentially planar structures with spans and heights far exceeding their thickness. Trusses generally include a bottom chord, top chords extending angularly from the bottom chord, and webs between the top and bottom chords. Premanufactured trusses are very strong and reliable in service when properly braced.
During installation and use, however, the trusses can topple if they are not laterally braced. Typically, to prevent the trusses from toppling and after a plurality of trusses are positioned in place, lateral braces are attached to and extend perpendicularly across the top chords and/or the bottom chords of a number of trusses to maintain the spacing and position of the trusses. The lateral braces may, for example, be 2.times.4 boards nailed to the chords or metal bracing members commercially available from MiTek Industries, Inc. under the trademark THE STABILIZER, which is the subject of applicant's copending patent application (patent application Ser. No. 08/702,238, filed Aug. 27, 1996).
In addition to perpendicular lateral bracing, cross braces are desirably attached extending diagonally between adjacent trusses, typically at about a 45 degree angle. The cross braces work in conjunction with the perpendicular lateral bracing to provide lateral support to the trusses. Although the known cross braces provide adequate support for the trusses, such braces typically are not secured in place until a number of trusses have been located in position.
Further, as the trusses are tied together in the structure, for example by applying sheathing to the top chords, the known top chord cross braces must be removed in order to secure the sheathing. The temporary attachment and subsequent removal of the cross braces is time consuming and tedious. Moreover, this method provides no diagonal support after the braces are removed.
It would be desirable to provide permanent cross braces that can be easily and accurately installed diagonally between top chords, bottom chords, and/or webs of adjacent trusses during truss installation. It would also be desirable for the cross bracing to remain attached to the trusses, providing added lateral support, after installation of sheathing to the trusses.